I've had Roufe on my etsy favourites list for what feels like ages. At the beginning of January I was browsing through, well everywhere, looking for something to treat myself too as an after exam incentive. Roufe popped up on my activity feed (a feature I do love on etsy) and I figured it was high time to get properly acquainted. Being the spoilt brat I am, I couldn't just buy myself one piece, so I opted for a bodysuit and a full set instead. All of Roufe's pieces are handmade in your choice of colour and so there is a delay for production. That being said, I purchased on the 11th January and these pieces arrived on the 3rd February so the wait was not excessive at all! They came in a plain white envelope and were packed between a piece of cardboard. There was no invoice or message in the package, just the lingerie. So it lacks a bit of a personal touch but is perfectly inconspicuous and could be sent as a gift (although don't do what my friends/family do to me and not tell me they've got me something and then just send you a moonpie or a book. It can be a tad unnerving).
So firstly i picked out the Cotton Jersey set. I wasn't a fan of the colours depicted in the listing so I inquired, in my checkout notes, if the set could be made in my team colours. I think my phrasing was mostly blue and white and I linked to a photo to clarify the shade of blue. From then on I received no correspondence back so assumed this was perfectly fine. Unfortunately when this arrived, it was pretty far from my team colours, which you can see clearly in the scarf i'm holding. I think my exact thoughts were, "nailed it" in a rather amused and sarcastic manner. I wasn't sure when ordering if the light blue or turquoise was going to be the closest to my colours so I opted to let the designer make that call, and obviously royal blue is rather far from powder blue. So big lesson learnt, specify exactly what colour fabric you want from the options given. I'm easy going, so whilst the colour wasn't ideal, I recognised that it wasn't a big deal (oh y'know just wearing Chelsea's colours, not like that's particularly unpleasant at this moment in time) and got over it. Unfortunately though, I don't like anything else about the top to this set either. It just looks horrendous and baggy on me (I wear a 28C/30B and measure ~27 inches underbust and ~29 inches overbust for reference), I bought a small (Roufe state that this will fit a US 2-6) and assumed from the product photos that it was going to be a set that fit quite tight and the fabric would stretch to accommodate. Didn't expect a baggy fit in the slightest. I also feel like the white panel in the centre sits much higher than on the version shown and frankly this is not flattering on small busts. I will be passing this on because it's not something i could even sleep comfortably. So any Chelsea fans with larger tits want a free top?
The knickers are cute and comfortable. I doubt they're ever going to sit on my hips the way they do on the model (I don't know what deity gave her those hips but I would like to get me some please) but the construction is much better and i am always in need of super soft, comfortable knickers to lounge around in.
The Strappy Monokini, however, is a completely different story. As with before, i picked this out in a size small and went with a custom colour-way. I was completely torn between white middle panel with black straps or black middle panel with white straps. I ended up going with the former and this time i am so not disappointed.
As far as construction goes, seams are kept to a minimum and a lot of the edges are just cut away and not hemmed. All of Roufe's pieces are made from Jersey material so they're guaranteed to be super soft and comfortable, that's a given. It also means that unhemmed edges will curl up slightly as opposed to fray. Where there are seams, they're nicely done and hardly noticeable, although on the blue set above, in particular the top, the seams appear to have been done with a little less care and overall i'd say the construction quality was a bit lower in those pieces than in the bodysuit.
The fit is much better. Around my hips (~32 inches) it is perfect, above my waist (~23-27 inches) the straps get a little loose but it's not really noticeable. The ruching at the bust is beyond flattering for smaller busts and it fits like a dream. I would say that if you are fuller busted or carry more of your breast mass up top then you might want to size up as this probably won't give you enough coverage. The straps are placed quite wide, I consider myself to be pretty broad shouldered for my frame and even I find them sitting a little too close for comfort to my arms and occasionally one will slip down. So if you have slim shoulders, this is also something to consider. The back of the bodysuit or "monokini" plunges down to just above where my hair stops and the coverage on the booty is most definitely akin to a thong but it's not tight or restricting. The material is thin, but not sheer, even in white!
I really do love this piece and i'm very tempted to go back and pick one up with a black middle panel and white straps, just to complete my collection. I've also got my eye on a few other pieces but I might avoid all tops since they run a little too large for small busts.
I'm a big fan of Roufe because they're doing something different and at an affordable price. Attractive and innovative lingerie is usually difficult to make completely comfortable so anyone who manages to achieve both of these things with jersey fabric definitely gets my approval!